NEW BRAUNFELS, TX.- The first part of the Lark Mason Associates auction of an extraordinary collection of Chinese textiles and luxury goods–from a private American collector–sparked competitive bidding on iGavelAuctions, achieving $279,616 including buyer’s premium, with a 91% sell-through.

“The recent sale of luxury items including imperial Chinese robes attracted international bidders vying for Louis Vuitton, Jewelry, and exceptional Chinese textiles,” says Lark Mason. “The combination of these works with the attention generated by the Winter Show in New York City was a perfect backdrop for success, resulting in a lot of targeted attention that drove prices up beyond expectations.”

Attracting the greatest amount of attention and in many instances exceeding their estimates, five to seven-fold were robes from the Qing dynasty including: a Blue Silk 12-symbol Semi-Formal Kesi Robe, which hammered $57,500, 5 times more than its original estimate; a Chinese Silk Cushion Cover, a skirt and a Voided Velvet Vest, snapped up by a Swedish collector for $20,000; a Manchu Woman's Semi-formal Nine Dragon Red Silk Court Robe, which sold for $13,000; a 19th century Manchu Woman's Informal Silk Gauze Summer Robe hammered $5,750; a Chinese Red Flower and Auspicious Symbol Ladies Robe, purchased by a Beijing buyer for $5,250; a Blue Satin Brocade Silk Robe ($8,438); and a Chinese Green Silk Kesi Robe ($7,500).

Luxury purveyors Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co. found buyers for a Wardrobe Trunk ($8,125) and a Ruby inset Sterling and Gold Compact ($4,504), respectively.

Another large component of the sale was a selection of 120 pieces of Navajo and other Native American necklaces, earrings, and other jewelry that were offered in 15 lots, which totaled $16,313.

Alongside the textiles and jewelry, was the maquette of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Cube Bronze, which brought $2,312. The iconic sculpture, by William Tarr, stands in front of Martin Luther King Junior Educational Campus Cube on Tenth Avenue in Manhattan.

Concludes Mason: “We look forward to the second part of this sale during Asia Week in March and anticipate equally stunning results.”